Our Town - April 7, 2016 by Our Town

The local paper for the Upper er East Side

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COMMUNITY LOOKS TO BURST OVAL BUBBLE Residents, CB8 want to increase access to Upper East Side playground BY BRYTNIE JONES

Among the ideal outdoor spots to play softball on the Upper East Side is right under the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. For nearly nine months out of each year, though, the ﬁeld, called the Queensboro Oval, is covered by a large inflatable white bubble — the indoor home to one of the city’s choice tennis facilities. From 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., players can hit on eight clay courts operated run the Sutton East Tennis Club under a concession license issued by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. But for years, neighborhood residents have said they want

The Sutton East Tennis Club operates inside an inﬂatable bubble on the Queensboro Oval, under the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, during most of the year. Residents and the local community board want the public to have increased access to the ﬁeld that’s available when the club is not operating. Photo: Brytnie Jones more than a few weeks each year to use the ballfield, which is overseen by the city’s Parks & Recreation Department.

“Our community-at-large has the least amount of public space in NYC,” said Peggy Price, co-chair of Community Board 8’s Parks and Recre-

ation Committee. “People are paying taxes for parkland that they can’t access most of the year. We are trying to make parkland already available to us for public use.” CB8 and city officials are in discussions about what will happen once the Parks Department’s current agreement with Sutton East expires in August 2017 and Jim Clynes, the community board’s chairman, said the best outcome would be to allow the Oval to become “a full-time public park.” In a statement, the Parks’ Department’s borough commissioner, William Castro, said the department is evaluating options for “future use” of the site. “In accordance with the rules of the City’s Franchise and Concession Review

Committee, NYC Parks will review plans for any potential Requests for Proposals with the community board and invite its feedback,” the statement says. But the ﬁnancial math tells its own story, as does the Parks Departments past action with regard to the park. York Avenue Tennis, the LLC behind Sutton East, paid the city $1.785 million in 2008 the ﬁrst year of the current license agreement with the Parks Department, which calls for the company to pay either a set annual fee, which has increased 5 percent each year since 2008, or 35 percent of the club’s gross receipts, whichever is highest. According to the Parks Department, the company

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A BEER AND A WATERCOLOR NEWS A neighborhood art show hits Ryan’s Daughter pub BY MICKEY KRAMER

The bright, mostly red, three-paneled painting of a guitar leaned against the bottom front window of the Ryan’s Daughter bar as a clue to passers-by and regulars: an art show was taking place in the bar’s upstairs room.

The show, organized by John Healy, featured mostly local artists. Healy, a marketing consultant for the event’s main sponsor, Big Apple Mini Storage, has been producing art shows in bars like Ryan’s Daughter, Phil Hughes and DTUT for about three years. “I love art and know that some can’t afford the ‘fancy’ gallery, so I like to ﬁnd space available for those who may not have other options.” Just minutes after the

noon Saturday start time, Gerard Carry hit pay dirt, selling a painting of longtime Upper East Side institution, Di Lorenzo’s Repair Shop, for $300. (Interesting side note: When Boneventura Di Lorenzo retired last November, his party was held at Ryan’s Daughter, which is at 85th Street and First Avenue.) Carry, who hails from Ireland but is a longtime resident of the neighborhood

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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Newscheck Crime Watch Voices Out & About

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7-13 2016

Our Take VOTE FOR PRESIDENT, WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS For the ﬁrst time in nearly two decades, New Yorkers will vote in a presidential primary that actually matters. So here we all are, lined up at the train station, watching the national political circus roll into town. And what a circus it is: Do we choose the Fifth Avenue billionaire or the Brooklyn socialist or the former state senator who lives in Westchester? This being New York, we are putting our own stamp on the race. Bernie Sanders supporters are cranking out home-made signs, which they’re plastering around the city. Some doormen in Trump buildings have been spotted with “Make America Great Again” baseball caps. We had been staying out of the fray, ﬁguring that presidential politics wasn’t a story that people turned to their neighborhood weekly for. Ultimately, though, we couldn’t resist. So this week, we’ll be running our own presidential straw poll of the neighborhood. Check out our sample ballot inside the paper, or go to our web site, and cast your vote. You’ll see we’ve made it easy: you can vote by email, over the web, even by telephone. Next week we’ll report the results. It turns out, we were right all along. We, as New Yorkers, really are the center of the world. Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday April 8 – 7:10 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

A painting by artist Gerard Carry at the Ryan’s Daughter show. Photo credit: The Gallery of Graphic Arts.

City Arts To Do Real Estate 15 Minutes

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WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERIOUS CRIME UP 2 PERCENT, SHOOTINGS DOWN

Police Commissioner Bioll Bratton attributed a decrease in shootings to so-called “precision policing,” which focuses police resources on known offenders. While Bratton acknowledged an increase in serious knife crimes – 899 slashings and stabbings through March, compared to 746 through the same period last year – he expressed conﬁdence those crimes would also ebb. Photo: Policy Exchange

An increase in assaults has contributed to a 2 percent rise in serious crime citywide, although shootings and killings remain at record lows. Citing police numbers, The Daily News reports that through March, 67 killings have been reported, a 21 percent decrease from the same time period last year, when 85 killing were recorded. Should that trend continue, fewer than 300 killings would be recorded this year. Shootings, too, are down significantly. Through the first quarter, 188 shooting incidents have been reported, compared to 218 last year, a 14 percent decrease, The News said. “We have never seen, in the CompStat era, fewer shooting incidents than we have this first quarter,” the paper quoted police Deputy Commissioner of Operations Dermot Shea. CompStat — short for computer statistics — are management tools to, among other things, help police identify crime trends. The system was introduced about 20 years ago, during current police Commissioner Bill Bratton’s first tenure in that post. Bratton said the decrease in shootings is attributable to so-called

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“precision policing,” which focuses police resources on known offenders. While Bratton acknowledged the increase in serious knife crimes – 899 slashings and stabbings through March, compared to 746 through the same period last year — he expressed conﬁdence those crimes would also ebb, The News reported.

presenting the project to Community Board 8 on April 20th, but it will only be an informational hearing. The project still requires approval from the Federal Transit Administration before construction can start, which is slated for 2017. The improvements are expected to be completed by 2020, according to DNAinfo.

68TH ST. STATION SET FOR MAKEOVER

GUN THREAT AT SCHOOL LEADS TO 3 ARRESTS

The MTA is bringing an old improvement plan back to life. DNAinfo reported that the MTA is planning on adding two additional stairwells to the 68th Street-Hunter College subway station. These additions as well as the possibility of moving existing stairwells will be meant to ease congestion at the station and and make it ADA compliant. According to Community Board 8, three elevators will also be installed at the station. A similar plan was discussed four years ago but received some dissidence from the public because of concerns that it would damage the environs of the block. The MTA board never voter on a resolution, but now DNAinfo reported that now the plan has resurfaced and the MTA doesn’t require community board approval. The MTA is planning on

Three boys at PS 169 on East 88th Street were arrested on April 4 after one student threatened another with a handgun, according to a report in The New York Times. A school staff member called 911, and when police arrived, they arrested a 13-year-old who reportedly had pulled out the gun, a 14-year-old who was found with a box of ammunition in his jacket, and a 15-year-old who was found in possession of the gun in his jacket pocket when police arrived on the scene. All three were arrested on charges of criminal possession of a weapon, and the 13-year-old will also be charged with menacing in the second degree. The Times reported that the police said they will be treated as juveniles in Family Court.

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

WOMAN RECANTS SLASHING STORY Police say a woman who claimed she was slashed in the face by a stranger in Lower Manhattan has recanted her story. The New York Police Department said that its nvestigation revealed that the woman’s wound was self-inﬂicted. They say the 20-year-old woman was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. Police say the woman reported a random attack and told police a man grabbed her and slashed her on the left side of her face. Police say she told them that the man called her a terrorist during the attack.

CHURCH MONEY STOLEN A crook may have to answer to a higher authority after ﬂeecing the faithful. On March 24, the treasurer of a local church wrote a check and sent it to a board member, as she did every month. The board member subsequently contacted her, saying that the check, for $133,969, had never been received. The treasurer called her bank and was advised that the check had been cashed by someone other than the person to whom it had

been made out. Apparently, the thief had used an out-of-state ID to cash the check.

MAN MUGGED At 8:45 p.m. on March 25, a 44-year-old employee of the Mexican Consulate was walking home when he was approached by three men, two of them aged about 25, the other closer to 30 years old, in front of 50 West 88th St. The 30-year-old approached the man, pushed him against a metal railing, grabbed both his arms, and pulled them behind his back. The second mugger then approached the victim, put a silver-colored blade knife to the 44-year-old’s abdomen, and said, “Give me the money. You do not want to die.” The victim replied that he had nothing of value on him, but the second perpetrator searched his pants pocket and removed some items. Meanwhile, the third baddie stood by and acted as lookout. The second man then told the victim not to move, before the perpetrators ﬂed eastbound on 88th Street toward Central Park West. Police searched the area but could not locate the three thugs. The items stolen included a Mexican Consulate ID, a black leather wallet valued at $15, $500 in cash, and an iPhone 6s valued at $800, making a total stolen of $1,315.

THE KEY TO A BURGLARY In mid-January, a 66-year-old woman living at 336 Central Park West left a shopping bag ﬁlled with jewelry valued at nearly $51,000 in her bathroom. She noticed the jewelry was missing on March 9. The victim lives alone, and there were no signs of forced entry to her apartment. She also told police that she occasionally has left her door keys in her front door lock by accident. Recently, in fact, her building doorman told her that she had left her key in her door lock, and he had put it in the building’s lockbox for safekeeping with other spare keys. The missing jewelry includes a diamond tennis bracelet, an amethyst bracelet and earrings, an emerald-and-diamond tennis bracelet, an emerald-and-ruby ring with diamonds, an opal-anddiamond ring, an emerald-cut topaz pendant on a yellow gold chain, a diamond head locket, a bangle bracelet, yellow gold earrings with eilat stone, and an amount of European currency.

SO MUCH FOR PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM Can residents of Philadelphia leave their apartment doors open with impunity? On March 23, a 34-yearold man visiting from Philadelphia left the rear patio door slightly open for his

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th precinct for Week to Date

Year to Date

2016 2015

% Chg

2016

2015

% Chg

Murder

n/a

-100.0

Rape

n/a

-100.0

Robbery

-100.0

-9.5

Felony Assault

-50.0

-10.7

Burglary

500.0

75.9

Grand Larceny

42.1

279

261

6.9

Grand Larceny Auto

n/a

50.0

dog at an apartment at 6 West 87th Street. Before he returned at 4 p.m., an unknown perpetrator entered through the rear door and removed property before ﬂeeing through that door. Police searched the area but could not locate the thief or the missing property. The items stolen were two gray 32 GB iPads, a black watch box, a variety of watches by Michael Kors, Invicta, Hugo Boss, Blackie, Nixon, Swatch and Skagen, and a gold wedding ring. The total stolen came to $4,208.

PAROCHIAL SCHOOLING On July 17 of last year, a 33-yearold man left his laptop in a closet adjoining the second-ﬂoor classroom of a private/parochial school at 15 West 86th St. When he returned the following Monday, he found that the laptop was gone. For some reason he did not report the crime to police until March 25 of this year. The stolen laptop was a 17-inch MacBook valued at $3,049.

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APRIL 7-13,2016

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Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

159 E. 85th St.

311

FDNY Engine 39/Ladder 16

157 E. 67th St.

311

FDNY Engine 53/Ladder 43

1836 Third Ave.

311

FDNY Engine 44

221 E. 75th St.

311

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13

CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Daniel Garodnick

211 E. 43rd St. #1205

212-818-0580

Councilmember Ben Kallos

244 E. 93rd St.

212-860-1950

STATE LEGISLATORS State Sen. Jose M. Serrano

1916 Park Ave. #202

212-828-5829

State Senator Liz Krueger

1850 Second Ave.

212-490-9535

Assembly Member Dan Quart

360 E. 57th St.

212-605-0937

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

1365 First Ave.

212-288-4607

COMMUNITY BOARD 8

505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

LIBRARIES Yorkville

222 E. 79th St.

212-744-5824

96th Street

112 E. 96th St.

212-289-0908

67th Street

328 E. 67th St.

212-734-1717

Webster Library

1465 York Ave.

212-288-5049

100 E. 77th St.

212-434-2000

HOSPITALS Lenox Hill NY-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell

525 E. 68th St.

212-746-5454

Mount Sinai

E. 99th St. & Madison Ave.

212-241-6500

NYU Langone

550 First Ave.

212-263-7300

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

POST OFFICES US Post Office

1283 First Ave.

212-517-8361

US Post Office

1617 Third Ave.

212-369-2747

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Harary, right, with state Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox

QUART DRAWS CHALLENGER FOR NOVEMBER ELECTION NEWS Republican helped start two East Side schools BY MAXINE DOVERE

Rebecca Harary. a first-time political candidate who founded two neighborhood schools, announced plans to run against Assemblymember Dan Quart in the state assembly district representing the Upper East Side. Harary announced her candidacy for District 73 at the Metropolitan Republican Club in mid-March, Harary, 52 years old, is the founder of the Imagine Academy for Autism and Yeshiva Prep High School for children with mild learning challenges. In 2012, she became the found-

ing director of the Moise Safra Community Center, a community resource now under construction on 82nd Street in the heart of the Upper East Side. Harary, married for 32 years and the mother of six, said she is running for office “to be a voice for our district’s interests, to represent our concerns in Albany, and to ﬁnd solutions for the challenges we are all facing. “Clearly Albany needs reform,” she said. “Working to clean up our state legislature is a high priority for me.” Harary said Quart had failed the neighborhood. ”Have you ever heard him champion term limits or transparency? Or independent solutions to any district issue? He remains a stealth assemblyman. Our dis-

trict deserves more.” Quart, who was elected to the assembly in a special election in 2011, said in a statement, “Whether it’s been ﬁghting to keep handicapped-accessible polling places like Central Synagogue open, or co-sponsoring legislation in the Assembly for reforms like allowing online voter registration, I’m proud of my record in ﬁghting to increase political participation and voter turnout. I’ve fought Republican-led efforts to curb voter participation throughout my career, and at the same time I’ve worked hard to make sure that new voters in our district, like my Republican opponent, can register to vote quickly and easily.” Harary said she considers former New York Mayor Michael

Bloomberg her political model. “New York was safer, cleaner, quieter and stronger under Bloomberg,” she says. Harary comes to politics from a family of educators. Her mother, two sisters and her three daughters all are teachers. Harary says de Blasio’s “chummy alliance” with the United Federation of Teachers gives public school teachers “excellent beneﬁts, but leaves New York’s kids without access to the tools they need to compete ... I am willing to stand with anyone, including charter school developers, who is willing to put education and the well-being of our children ﬁrst. It’s time for a change.”

APRIL 7-13,2016

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Notice Of Joint Public Hearing, April 11, 2016: Intent To Award As A Concession The Operation And Maintenance Of A Food, Beverage, And Merchandise Concession Related To The Presentation Of Live Events At Summerstage, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Manhattan To The City Parks Foundation, Inc.

EXAMS

NOTICE OF A JOINT PUBLIC HEARING of the Franchise and Concession Review Committee and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to be held on Monday, April 11, 2016 at 2 Lafayette Street, th 14 Floor Auditorium, Borough of Manhattan, at 2:30 p.m. relative to: INTENT TO AWARD as a concession the operation and maintenance of a food, beverage, and merchandise concession related to the presentation of live events at SummerStage, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Manhattan, for a potential term of approximately seven (7) years, to the City Parks Foundation, Inc. (â&#x20AC;&#x153;CPFâ&#x20AC;?). Compensation to the City will be as follows: In lieu of a license fee, CPF shall use any revenue it receives from the operation of this concession to offset the cost of free events at Rumsey Playfield and the cost of operation and maintenance of Rumsey Playfield. A draft copy of the agreement may be reviewed or obtained at no cost, commencing Monday, March 28, 2016, through Monday, April 11, 2016, between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm, excluding weekends and holidays at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, located at 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 313, New York, NY 10065. Individuals requesting Sign Language Interpreters should contact the Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office of Contract Services, Public Hearings Unit, 253 Broadway, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10007, (212) 788-7490, no later than SEVEN (7) BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING. TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115

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Chapter 5

EVE AND OTHERS BY ESTHER COHEN

Welcome to the latest installments of our serialized novel. A summary of the plot so far: We are in the 80s, a time when life was bright orange. There was no such thing as Good Taste Grey. We are in a non-descript but comfortable building. The lobby looks like a subway stop. Walls that are not white and not beige either. Brownish. Fluroescent lights abound. Eve, 80s beautiful woman who actually owns a silver jumpsuit, Eva wants to be an actress. (She is my roommate). She’d just met a small man named Charles in our elevator. And Charles just moved in.

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Charles was on the agoraphobic side. He told us when we met that he rarely went out, although going somewhere was always his intention. He claimed to like paintings, music, some modern dance, though seeing any of those was rare. Charles subscribed to a magazine called “Cue,” a precursor of TIME OUT. The entire magazine was an impartial listing of the plentitude of events that is always New York. He carried three yellow markers in his pocket (in case one or two went dry, he said) and he would continually highlight events that he could attend, if ever he chose to leave. Visiting Larry in our building was a rare foray for him. Charles and Larry had gone to high school together, in Brooklyn. The very ﬁrst day of Charles, we all sat in our small living room. Eve and he were together on our velvet coach, as though they’d been together forever. He did not feel like a stranger, as peculiar as we were, he seemed perfectly comfortable in that room and I sat across from them in a big stuffed chair our super had given us. The chair was from the basement, just sitting there and Anibal brought it up one day, unsolicited, as a gift. Our super, Anibal, was a handsome, generous Dominican man, lived on the second floor with his wife, who

Illustration by John S. Winkleman worked nights, and his tall teenage son. I felt as though I were watching a play, the lone audience sitting on the side in my chair. The very first conversation between them that I remember was something like this. “Will you decide to tell us something about yourself?” Eve had the ability then, to be any character she chose. “Why yes,” said Charles, suddenly southern. “And what might that be?” she replied. Although I am a natural interruptor, I did not. Not even to offer coffee or tea, or a glass of Mateus, our usual cheap wine. I listened as though I was hearing something important. “My aunt Billie,” he began, “she actually wanted to be a go-go dancer and she got a job, a real paying job traveling with a group. They danced between band numbers. Billie is only 15 years older than me. She’s more like an older sister. She and my mother are the

same number of years apart. Fifteen. Funny when you think about it that way. Billie fell in love with a famous musician. You’ve heard his name. He’s married, of course, but they’re kind of a couple. She says she loves him. Anyway, my grandmother had never heard of him. She invited Billie to bring her man friend to Friday night dinner. If she’d known he was married she never would have but she did because Billie is her baby daughter and she kept talking about Trini this and Trini that and finally my grandmother said, ‘OK, OK bring him over here to eat something’ and they all ate some chopped liver together, and some chicken and my grandmother made her delicious sour cream pound cake. Don’t you want to know what happened next?” he asked us both. We did. Esther Cohen posts a poem a day at esthercohen.com.

APRIL 7-13,2016

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Chapter 6 Because she knew she was a painter, Naomi worked as an Office Temp. She painted the word CANTALOUPE on the apartment wall facing the living room furniture: a three pillowed deep purple velvet couch. The wall was bright yellow. She used uncantaloupe green for the word, so that it would be both cantaloupelike, and not. To temp, she bought a Goodwill version of a passable black dress, not exactly tasteful but good enough to work in an office for five days or ten, to look as though what she was doing was just filling in. Office temps often tended to be an interesting lot. They formed their own nation state in places like Rochester Button Company, Celanese, or NBC: large office spaces where people did who knows what. The temps usually had many future plans. One day, they told one another, they would build wooden boats, they would visit Bhutan, they would write an opera about mosquitoes and mice. At Rochester Button, a frequently recurring employer, pleasant enough to go and come, Naomi met Albert, a

gay African American man who, although he was born in D.C., pronounced his name AL BEAR. In the way that life happened then – was it age? Was it the time? Or something else about New York? Al bear and Naomi became instantly inseparable. A fashionista, he hoped to design his own line. “Can you believe it?” Al Bear would begin every encounter. His life was one long and very incredible story. “A while ago,” he said one day. It was a warm day for late March. They were eating lunch on Sixth Avenue and 50th Street, sitting on a wall. Sixth Avenue looked a little like an urban Grand Canyon. Buildings hovered above them right up to the sky. Al Bear said he detested (another favorite word) people who carried lunch in ziploc bags. He would just eat apples, or oranges, or he’d devour a ring of dried figs. “A while ago,” he repeated, for emphasis, “my next door neighbor Alyoshus Zim he just disappeared. No one, and I mean no one at all, not even his mother, a nice Greek lady who bakes those wonderful Greek butter

Illustration by John S. Winkleman cookies, not even his mother had any idea where he went. He was there one day, and then he just vanished. Like that,” he said, and snapped his ﬁngers. “Like that,” he said again.

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“Tell me about him,” Naomi asked. She had a soft spot for people who’d vanished. She’d known a few. Although she herself never could. “How much time do we

have?” Al Bear asked. “I think our short pitiful lunchtime is nearing a close. Shall we indulge in a happy hour glass of five dollar wine tonight? Then I’ll be able to explain in

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Voices

Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.

Poetry HOW TO WRITE A POEM (IF YOU WANT TO) April 21 is National Put a Poem in Your Pocket Day, part of National Poetry Month. To encourage our readers to write poems, our resident poet, Esther Cohen, penned a primer. If it inspires you, send your poems to news@strausnews.com Sit down anywhere. Poems happen standing up but sitting down’s easier. One good word a way to begin. Lesson One

You can start here or over there. First words matter. Start better than begin. Where you go up to you. Try to go where you can ﬁnd your best poem Lesson 2

You want to write. OK. Just sit right there. Don’t move. Then write a word or two right down. Lesson 3

Some days no poems. Just wait.

BREAD, WINE AND A PUNCH ON THE TRAIN EAST SIDE ENCOUNTERS BY ARLENE KAYATT

Sonny knows best: Mom and 12-ish son riding down elevator early Saturday morning. Mom feverishly scanning apps and texts and emails. Son carrying an empty, wrinkly fabric shopping bag which was hanging by one handle from his wrist. Basketball in the crook of the elbow of his other arm. Mom suggests, “Why don’t you put the basketball in the bag. It’s just hanging there anyway,” to which son replied, “But mom, then I can’t dribble.” Practice beats practical when you’re 12. Lot of time for practical. No bread lines here: Located on 92nd/3rd, Corner Café & Bakery, a combination bakery, full-service restaurant and self-serve café. A favorite of my crowd for convenience, airiness and good soups. My preference is the café. I find the restaurant more like the dining rooms you find when you travel across the U.S. Places that you find in Amish country or Schrafft’s or Longchamps if you go back that far. My main gripe is the freebie roll they serve as soon as you’re seated. Whether you’re ordering a burger or a grilled cheese sandwich, you get a roll. They call it brioche, I call it a dinner roll. Puny little things. One evening I was going to order an entree instead of my serial appetizers, but didn’t want the roll. The manager came over and I explained. She said, “Oh, that’s quite all right, you can substitute bread.” I chose the multi-grain. No charge when I got the bill. Next time at Corner, I substituted the dinner roll for multi-grain and found a $2.95 charge on my bill. Explanation to server was unavailing and she sent over the manager, the same one who made the substitution the first time without charge. This time, however, she told a different story and completely denied that there was ever a substitution without charge. I would not have ordered it the second time if there had been a charge the first time. I can buy a fresh loaf of bread at Whole Foods for maybe $5 or a packaged loaf at the market on 3rd/90th for $3.95. Corner multi-grain, served for dinner, is not freshly sliced. Why would I, or anyone, pay $2.95 for two slices of bread? I’ll stick to the self-serve café

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Photo by stu_spivack via ﬂickr section of Corner. I’ll get my own coffee. Get my own soup. And stay away from the dining room and the manager’s overcharges. What a way to start the day: A reader writes about an encounter on a downtown East Side subway. 20-something woman with earphones. Standing in crowded train holding a cup of hot coffee. The train speeds along, stops and starts. Coffee spills on gentleman seated in front of woman. She doesn’t apologize or say anything. The wet and scalded gentlemen said something like, you can at least say you’re sorry. Her response, Oh, the train’s too crowded. Couldn’t help it. Nearby passengers start berating the woman. As the doors open, the woman intentionally dumps the remaining coffee on the man. He gets up and punches her. She escapes when the doors open at the next stop, leaving the onlookers arguing about whether the man had the right to punch the liquid-dumping lady. There was disagreement. Another passenger, a mom with a couple of children with her, awed

Associate Publishers Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Regional Sales Manager Tania Cade

and aglow from what she had just seen, commented to the young ones, “Wasn’t that an exciting way to start the day” Huh! Probably doesn’t see that kind of thing in Podunk. Not sure there are trains. Anyway, New York’s an anything goes type of town and getting more so. Mister Wright’ should be selling wine, not whines: The Mister Wright wine shop on 3rd/89th-90th is a showstopper for good, reasonable wines across the spectrum. However, a recent Friday afternoon gave me pause about whether at least one employee forgets what he’s there for - to sell wine. A customer walked in. An employee approached him and asked if he could help. The customer took off his hat (either a cap or beret), and reached out to shake the employee’s hand. The employee, who is the store’s manager, wouldn’t shake hands nor would he look the man in the eye. As an onlooker, it seemed strange that a customer would want to shake hands. But this is NY, USA. Takes all kinds. The manager’s rudeness was compounded by his un-

President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com Account Executive Editor In Chief, Kyle Pope editor.ot@strausnews.com Fred Almonte Director of Partnership Development Deputy Editor, Richard Khavkine Barry Lewis editor.dt@strausnews.com

willingness to reach out to the customer in another way - like try to sell him some wine. Find out what the guy likes. What he’s looking for. Tell him about the inventory. What’s new in stock. Big blackboards adorn the street space in front of Mister Wright’s storefront promoting new wines, inexpensive wines, select wines. Seems that if you’re running or working in a business you have to deal with the good, the not so good, and the bad stuff. Judgment counts. This guy who wanted a hand shake came in to buy wine. Do your job. You don’t want to shake hands, don’t. Show him the wine. Don’t dis him. No snarky attitude. Finesse, patience, maybe even a smile. The customer doesn’t need some whiny manager’s attitude. Maybe shaking hands or touching customers is prohibited by Mister Wright’s rules. Maybe Mister Wright is germ phobic. Who knows? Who cares. Maybe it’s just that everyone has the right to be rude. And I have the right to say something - quid pro quo.

Staff Reporters Gabrielle Alfiero, Madeleine Thompson Director of Digital Pete Pinto

Block Mayors Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side

APRIL 7-13,2016

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A REMINDER OF DANGERS ON THE ROAD MY STORY BY BETTE DEWING

Dr. Samuel Johnson was a great believer in how we need to be reminded as well as informed. Or that once informed, any new idea or concept must be repeated and repeated until it takes hold. Well, I’ve had a lot of ideas (help!) in my lifetime, but they have yet to take hold. Like Pedestrians First, later renamed Safe Travel First. Yes, you’ve heard this before but until it takes hold ... (And it’s springtime, when the two-wheeled population explodes.) Plus we need many more Safe Travel First activists. Again there were awards, but we are never consulted as bicyclists’ allergy to the laws of the road remains, even as their numbers increase and increase and increase. And there is still no great and ongoing outcry against the far more deadly motorists’ failure to yield when turning into a crosswalk. Something Safe Travel First has always stressed. Again, this crime of traffic causes more pedestrian deaths and injuries (let’s not forget severe, painful, disﬁguring, permanent and bankrupting injuries) than any other crime of traffic. And let’s keep repeating that, and how the “crimes of traffic” label needs to really take hold. As for bicycling, including scooters, well they engender the most frequent stress with the many near-misses and always being on guard against theses silent machines which as often noted and noted and noted can come at you from any direction. Incidentally my 1984 Times Op-Ed piece titled, “New York Bikers – Too Free-Wheeling and a Public Menace,” also said city bikes must make a nice little sound, Make a nice little sound! But most of my letters to the editor have railed against motorists’ failure to yield, including one found in the March 4th paper of record. And, of course, pedestrians must obey the laws. I’ve said much too little about that, likely because although surely stressed by heedless runners, I don’t feel that threatened in general by

Bike lanes similar to this one could be added to several Upper East Side crosstown streets. Photo: Helen K, via flickr reckless foot travelers. But the greatest problem is that too little is said, in general, about these everyday life and health illegal threats in the nation’s walkingest city with a large elder and otherwise disabled population especially at risk. And something (a lot really) should be said by advocates of these most vulnerable walkers. Just one example, when walking home from the senior exercise group in John Jay Park last week, at two low-traffic crossings, motor vehicles brazenly failed to yield. And I thought again how fighting this and all traffic dangers should somehow be incorporated into such classes – to at least get people talking about it, and yes, also more concerned with civical fitness -concerned with civical fitness – concerned with civical fitness. Also, I’ve long meant to write about Hillary Clinton’s forgotten long ago reproach to the entertainment industry to curtail its excessive and gratuitous violence (like a Sunday school picnic compared to nowadays. She needs reminding). But when googling the Clinton

BARRY LIEBMAN,

presidential years, I again read that Bill Clinton’s father was killed in an auto accident (trafﬁc tragedy) four months before Bill was born. Did you remember that? But it shows how taken for granted such terrible and preventable tragedies are. And how rarely remembered is that Joe Biden’s wife and 13-month-old daughter were killed in a 1992 traffic tragedy. And yet if these so powerful men, especially Clinton, had made battling crimes of traffic a real and ongoing crusade… well, it’s never too late, never too late, never too late. Incidentally, both Democrat presidential wannabees held rallies in New York City, but no concern that I know of about stopping the proﬁt-driven real estate tsunami-like forces from razing neighborhoods that sustain everyday needs. And yet saving the nabes is so basic and democratic a city need so basic and democratic a city need - so basic and democratic a city need. It can be done if enough of us try – if enough of us try - if enough of us try. dewingbetter@aol.com

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NEWYORK-PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL AND WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE SEMINAR SERIES • SPRING 2016

Out & About More Events. Add Your Own: Go to ourtownny.com

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Arthritis and Pain Management: Don’t Let the Pain Get In Your Way David H. Goddard, MD, FRCP, FACP Sadiah Siddiqui, MD

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From Reﬂux to Esophageal Cancer: Knowing Your Risks and Prevention Tips Felice H. Schnoll-Sussman, MD Alexandra L. Weinstein, RD, CDN

May

Precision Medicine: Targeted Treatment and You! Olivier Elemento, PhD M. Elizabeth Ross, MD, PhD

Time

www.weill.cornell.edu/seminars

6:30–8 pm

accommodation, or for weather-related cancellations please call

212-821-0888

and leave a message on the recording. All seminars are FREE and open to the public. Seating is available for 250 people on a ﬁrst-come, ﬁrst-served basis.

GREAT MUSIC IN A GREAT SPACE CONCERT SERIES▲ The Cathedral of Saint John The Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th St. 7:30-9:30 p.m. A reprise of Mahler’s astounding Eighth Symphony from earlier in the season. 212-316-7540. www. stjohndivine.org

COMMUNITY BOARD 8 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE

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If you require a disability-related

Thu 7

Place All seminars held at

Uris Auditorium Weill Cornell Medicine 1300 York Avenue (at 69th St.)

Brick Presbyterian Church, 62 East 92nd St. 6:30 p.m. Finalizing plans for the June 22 community gathering in support of opening the Queensboro Oval Park to the public full time. 212-758-4340. cb8m.com/ calendar-meeting_date

Fri 8 ELECTIONS — THEN AND NOW Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, 421 East 61st St. 12:30 p.m. Free with museum admission.

What do today’s presidential campaigns have to do with Andrew Jackson’s? A look at Jackson’s campaign and the origins of political paraphernalia and image-making. Museum tour following the lecture. www.MVHM.org

BROADWAY TAKES TWO▼ 92nd Street Y, Buttenwieser Hall, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street 8 p.m. $25 An evening of classic and contemporary Broadway dance numbers reinvented by top choreographers and performed by New York’s ﬁnest dancers. 212-415-5500. www.92y. org/Event/Broadway-Takes-Two

Sat 9 ART GALLERY TOUR Meet at 1018 Madison Ave., near East 78th St. 1 p.m. $25 Visit seven modern art galleries in the uptown center for contemporary art — we ﬁnd and explain this month’s most fascinating exhibits in painting, sculpture, electronic media & photography. 212-946-1548. www. nygallerytours.com

‘HOMAGE TO ELEANORA’ Manna House Workshops, 338 East 106th St. 7:30 p.m., Fri and Sat. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Entertainer, vocalist and jazz

APRIL 7-13,2016

aďŹ cionado Keith Dames presents his annual celebration of Billie Holiday. 305-450-0764. homagetoeleanora. brownpapertickets.com.

Mon 11

Sun 10

92nd Street Y, Kaufmann Concert Hall, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street 8 p.m. from $22 Carson reads from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;FLOAT,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; her forthcoming collection of performance pieces and other poetic writings. 212-415-5500. www.92y. org/Event/Anne-Carson

BLUE HILL TROUPE PRESENTS â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;IOLANTHEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; El Teatro of El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave., at 104th Street April 10 at 3 p.m. April 8, 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. April 9 & April 16 at 2 p.m. $28-$100. 25 years after being banished for marrying a mortal, the fairy Iolanthe returns, seeking protection for her son, who is half-fairy and half-mortal. Intrigue insues. The Troupeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2016 season beneďŹ ts the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cancer & Blood Foundation. 212-988-2012. tinyurl.com/ Iolanthe2016.

VIGĂ&#x2030;E LE BRUNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PORTRAITS OF MARIE ANTOINETTE The Met Fifth Avenue 3-4:30 p.m. Free with museum admission Katharine Baetjer, curator in the Department of European Paintings, and Caroline Weber, associate professor of French at Barnard College, consider the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career in relation to the role of women in 18th century French art and the signiďŹ cance of her portraits of the queen. 212-535-7710

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ANNE CARSON

SMART CITIES: CONNECTING LATIN AMERICA Americas Society/Council of the Americas, 680 Park Ave. Registration, 5:30 p.m.; discussion at 6:00 p.m. Free but preregistration required. An expert panel to discuss the intersection between urbanization and technology that is helping cities in Latin America to be smart and prepare a futureready economy with improved public services, air quality, and transportation systems. 212-249-8950. www.as-coa. org/

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Albertine, 972 Fifth Ave., at 79th Street 7 p.m. Free An evening with Haitian Canadian author and member of the prestigious French Academy Dany LaferriĂ¨re, who will discuss his latest publication, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mythologies amĂŠricainesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Haitian literature. In French 212-461-3670. www. albertine.com/

Tue 12 CLASSICS OF FRENCH CINEMAâ&#x2013;ź FIAF, Tinker Auditorium, 22 East 60th St. 12:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3 p.m. $45; members, $40 CinĂŠ-Club, with Olivier Barrot, features â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Bout de Souffleâ&#x20AC;? (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Breathless), Jean-Luc Godardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Wave classic starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. www.ďŹ af.org/

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Wed 13 SISTERS IN CRIME PRESENT â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;MYSTERY WRITERS JAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 67th Street Library, 328 East 67th St. 5:30 p.m. Laura Joh Rowland moderates a discussion of mystery writers from the Sisters in Crime writing group, including Radha Vassal, Nina MansďŹ eld, Mary McHugh, and Cathi Stoler. 212-734-1717. www.nypl.org/ locations/67th-street

ENTER THE CONVERSATION: KRISTA TIPPET The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave. 7 -8:30 p.m. Free with RSVP. Krista Tippett, PeabodyAward winning broadcaster in a conversation with The Very Reverent Dr. James A. Kowalski based on her new book, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 212-316-7540. www. stjohndivine.org.

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APRIL 7-13,2016

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VIGÉE LE BRUN, PAINTER TO THE FRENCH COURT, AT THE MET FIFTH AVENUE Her sitters included Marie Antoinette and kings, queens and nobles throughout Europe BY VAL CASTRONOVO

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) is one of the most important female artists you’ve probably never heard of. The daughter of a pastel portraitist in Paris who died when she was 12, she went on to do great things, following in the footsteps of Anthony van Dyck and becoming a court painter — the first woman to be appointed painter to the king of France. Louis XVI, in the hopes of rehabilitating his wife’s image, famously commissioned the artist to paint a portrait of Marie Antoinette with their children, a monumental work that is the centerpiece of “Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France,” a glittering retrospective of some 80 portraits at The Met Fifth Avenue. In the very red “Marie Antoinette and Her Children” (1787), we are meant to see the queen’s kinder, gentler side, though critics deemed the portrayal more regal than maternal. Vigée Le Brun found inspiration in Renaissance Madonna and Child paintings and created a triangular composition, with the royal sitter ﬂanked by three of her offspring, one of whom lifts the drapes on an empty cradle — presumably an allusion to a baby girl who died during the painting’s execution. Like van Dyck, whose collars and costumes she emulated, the painter showed her talent at a young age and was entrusted with commissions from royals and aristocrats early on in her career. Her proﬂigate husband, art dealer Jean Baptiste Pierre Le Brun,

vigorously promoted her work (they would eventually divorce), and she became rich and famous in her lifetime. Her allegiance to the royals necessitated a hasty emigration from Paris in October 1789, when revolutionaries were rushing the gates of Versailles. She began a 12-year exile, ﬁrst in Italy, then in Vienna, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Berlin. In each locale, her ambition showed as she showed her work and lined up patrons. The exhibit here is organized chronologically, beginning with the pre-Revolutionary period in France. When an informal portrait of Marie Antoinette in a breezy chemise and straw hat caused a stir at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture’s 1783 salon, she was asked to remove the picture. She started over and produced a larger, formal portrait, substituting a lacy satin dress for the milkmaid costume. The two works are displayed side by side, a testament to the artist’s versatility and “can-do” attitude — same pose, same prop (a pink cabbage rose), different outﬁt. She mostly painted women (elites, family, friends, friends’ mistresses) and, in the 1780s especially, favored depictions of subjects in casual attire, despite her role as court painter. The court set, in fact, chafed at structured formal wear, eschewing corsets and panniers in informal settings for the more relaxed look and feel of the “chemise à la reine,” a loose muslin dress cinched at the waist with a sash. The shepherdess look is perfectly captured in “The Duchesse de Polignac in a Straw Hat” (1782) and “The Comtesse Du Barry in a Straw Hat” (ca. 1781), the latter a mistress of Louis XV who was guillotined. The artist’s portraits were renowned for their high prices and use of color

and praised for their sensitivity and expressiveness. History painter Jacques-Louis David is said to have studied her portrait works and was in awe of her skill. Some of the most striking paintings here are those of children — the queen’s son and daughter (“Madame Royale and the Dauphin Seated in a Garden,” 1784) and the artist’s own daughter, Julie, shown in profile holding a mirror with her reflected image (“Julie Le Brun Looking in a Mirror,” 1787). But her self-portraits are equally appealing, evidence of her reputed grace, charm and beauty. The show’s signature image, a self-portrait from 1790, was produced after she visited the Uffizi’s famed Vasari Corridor, a repository of self-portraits founded in the 17th century. Asked to join the club, Vigée Le Brun offered a painting, “with a palette in hand, in front of a canvas in which I am drawing the queen in white chalk,” she wrote in her memoirs. She is dressed in a black gown, with crimson sash and frothy white collar and turban, looking every bit the part of painter to the French court. Equally beguiling is “Self-Portrait with Cerise Ribbons” (ca. 1782), painted when Vigée Le Brun was only 27 and at the height of her powers. Another tour de force in black, white and red, it shows the influence of “the age of Rubens” with its ribbons — and van Dyck, specifically, with its plumed hat, per the catalog, which states: “Although awareness of her own beauty suffuses all the self-portraits of these years, the artist’s seduction of the beholder is most intense here. The hint of a smile and the slightly open mouth and beautiful teeth convey direct address, as she uses her femininity to promote her art.” Come hither and note the contem-

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris). “The Duchesse de Polignac in a Straw Hat.” 1782, oil on canvas, 36 3/8 x 28 7/8 in. (92.2 x 73.3 cm). Muse´e National des Cha^teaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 8971).

poraneous van Dyck show, “The Anatomy of Portraiture,” at the Frick, through June 5.

IF YOU GO WHAT: “Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France” WHERE: The Met Fifth Avenue, at 82nd Street WHEN: Through May 15 www.metmuseum.org

APRIL 7-13,2016

SLOWING DOWN AT THE MUSEUM TO DO Stories of Previous Lives of the Buddha (Jataka); Tibet, ca. 17th century. Pigments on cloth. Credit: Rubin Museum of Art

An invitation to contemplate art works for minutes at a time BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

Slow Art Day, taking place worldwide April 9, invites museum visitors across the globe to engage with works for more than just a few moments. More precisely, it asks museumgoers to spend 10 minutes each with ﬁve works. The Rubin Museum of Art, the Himalayan art and culture showcase in Chelsea, will participate in the event, and Dominique Townsend, its assistant director of interpretation and engagement, discusses the beneﬁts of viewing art at a slower pace. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

THE EXPERIENCE You see what happens when you reflect on something for much longer than would usually be comfortable. Ten minutes is a very long time for most people to really engage with a single static piece of art. To me it has a really lovely dovetail with different kinds of meditation and mindfulness practices that are really about developing tolerance for the characteristics of your own mind. Seeing what happens, what kind of stuff comes up. Can you sit with your own boredom? Can you sit with

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

Hidden Waters of New York City

THURSDAY, APRIL 7TH, 6:30PM Mid-Manhattan Library | 455 Fifth Ave. | 212-340-0863 | nypl.org Join New York City Parks Department staffer Sergey Kadinsky for a talk on water both past and present, including Minetta Brook, Collect Pond in the Financial District, Newtown Creek, and the Bronx River. (Free)

Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street’s First Black Millionaire

TUESDAY, APRIL 12TH, 6:30PM Graduate Center, CUNY | 365 Fifth Ave. | 212-817-7000 | www.gc.cuny.edu Hear the neglected story of Jeremiah Hamilton (c. 1806-1875), who had a white wife, owned stock in trains he wasn’t allowed to ride, and died the richest African American in the U.S. (Free)

Just Announced | Discovering Design: Isaac Mizrahi

FRIDAY, MAY 6TH, 7PM The Strand | 828 Broadway | 212-473-1452 | strandbooks.com Few designers have had as diverse a career as Isaac Mizrahi, seen everywhere from Fashion Week runways to Broadway stages and the aisles of Target. Hear from Mizrahi himself on the occasion of the Jewish Museum’s new lavish exhibit of his work. ($20 gift card or book purchase required)

For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,

THE CONCEPT We’re conditioned through so many factors in our lives to move quickly and take things in, especially in a city like New York where we’re so critical and we’re constantly either discriminating between useful and worthless and good and bad. I think in looking at art, too, we tend to apply all those same rules. We’re always in a rush and we have to very quickly decide the merits of something that we’re looking at and then quickly move on. It’s just this very beautiful concept that if we create the circumstances that in a kind of playful way invites people to really challenge themselves to sit with one piece of art.

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your own impatience? I think a lot of times we don’t have any tolerance for that stuff because we don’t challenge ourselves in this kind of way … . I think what most people will find is their mind will drift probably far off the object at some times. Other times, maybe things will start to move in a painting. Even sometimes you have a little hallucination or something where you realize your perception starts to make things happen if you really sit with something long enough. Those are all things that happen in meditation as well.

THE WORKS Stories of Previous Lives of the Buddha (Jataka)] is a painting that depicts the stories of the historical Buddha and his previous lives. This is an important part of thinking about karma and how the Buddha got to be the Buddha, so there are all these tales of the wonderful kinds of generous and compassionate things he did for many previous lives. That’s a very popular subject in art, and I think one nice thing about that is that it’s narrative. There’s a lot of wonderful visual detail that’s telling you the story and only if you really offer yourself the time and space to sit there

will all of that start to speak to you. In the general tour you might spend ﬁve or 10 minutes in an engaged conversation about a piece, but that’s already kind of a lot. In that case you could point out a couple of the stories of previous lives, but I think giving people the space to just silently sit and really deeply look at that painting will let them do some of that themselves. Let the painting start to tell you its story.

IF YOU GO WHAT: Slow Art Day Gallery Tour, Saturday, April 9 WHERE: Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th St., near Seventh Avenue Museum hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission: $15 Guided slow art day tour from noon-1 p.m.; free with admission For more information, visit rubinmuseum.org or call 212-620-5000

APRIL 7-13,2016

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RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS MAR 14 - APR 3, 2016

Vinnie’s Pizzaria

1603 2Nd Ave

The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/restaurant-grades.page

Not Graded Yet (5) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Thai @ Lex

1244 Lexington Avenue

Panera Bread

120 East 86 Street

Persepolis

1407 2 Avenue

Va Bene

1589 Second Avenue

Corrado Bread And Pastry

960 Lexington Avenue A

Jacque’s Cafe

204 East 85 Street

Mile 17

1446 1St Ave

Agora Turkish Restaurant

1565 Second Avenue

The Green Bean Cafe

1413 York Avenue

400 East 74 Street

Dorrian’s Red Hand Restaurant

1616 2 Avenue

Creative Cakes Delizia Ristorante

1374 1 Avenue

Mcdonald’s

1499 3Rd Ave

Beach Cafe

1326 2 Avenue

Yuka Restaurant

1557 2Nd Ave

The Allie Way Sports Bar

413 East 70 Street

Sistina Restaurant

1555 2 Avenue

Two Lizards Mexican Restaurant

1365 1St Avenue

Ray’s Pizza

1827 2 Avenue

4Th Floor Cafe

221 East 71St Street

Dunkin’ Donuts

200 East 89 Street

Just Salad

1306 1St Ave

New Fresh Wok

1777 1St Ave

Up Thai

1411 2Nd Ave

Le Viet Cafe

1750 2Nd Ave

Campagnola Restaurant

1382 1St Ave

Pio Pio Express

1746 1 Avenue

5 Napkin

1325 2Nd Ave

Not Graded Yet (26) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Russ & Daughters At The Jewish Museum

1109 5Th Ave

Not Graded Yet (2)

The District

1679 3 Avenue

Bricklane Curry House

1664 3 Avenue

Come Prima

903 Madison Ave

Bonjour Crepes & Wine

1442 Lexington Ave

Chicken Festival

1584 1 Avenu

Stargate Diner

1580 3Rd Ave

Kobeyaki

215 E 86Th St

Maison Kayser

1535 3Rd Ave

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf 1469 3 Avenue

The Burger Bistro

1663 1 Avenue

Just Salad

1471 Third Ave

Grade Pending (49) Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/ refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Hot & Crusty Bagels Cafe

1276 Lexington Avenue

Paola’s

1295 Madison Avenue A

Shoga-Sushi & Oyster Bar

1698 2 Avenue

Felice

1593 1 Avenue

Via Quadronno

1228 Madison Ave

Dunkin’ Donuts

1571 York Avenue

Falafel Off The Corner

1764 1St Ave

Elio’s

1621 Second Avenue

Enthaice

1598 3 Avenue

Grunauer

1578 1St Ave

Not Graded Yet (13) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Vinus And Marc

1825 2Nd Ave

Libertador

1725 2 Avenue

Alice’s Tea Cup

220 East 81 Street

Auction House

300 East 89 Street

Brasserie Magritte

1463 Third Avenue

Kaia Wine Bar

1614 3 Avenue

Ottomanelli Cafe

1626 York Avenue

Glaser’s Bakery

1670 1 Avenue

Pizza Beach

1426 3Rd Ave

Domino’s

200 East 89 Street

Arturo’s Pizza

1610 York Ave

Parlor Steak And Fish

1600 3 Avenue

The York Social

1529 York Ave

Hughes Tavern

1682 1 Avenue

Manny’s On Second

1770 2 Avenue

Jj Brown Cup

1707 2Nd Ave

Highlands Cafe Restaurant 1505 Third Avenue

Ithaka

308 East 86 Street

APRIL 7-13,2016

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WHO SHOULD BE PRESIDENT OTES OF THE UNITED STATES? (Vote for ONE)

Republican

Ted Cruz

John R. Kasich

Donald J. Trump

Democrat

Hillary Clinton

Bernie Sanders

INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOTING IN OUR READER POLL The NY State Primary is April 19. Tell us before Monday, April 11 at noon how you’re leaning.

You can participate in our reader poll one of multiple ways. • Go to ourtownny.com and click on the Our Town Votes banner. OR • Send an email with your vote and a brief statement of who and why to elections.ot@strausnews.com. OR • Call 347-674-3952 and leave a brief message telling us who you’re voting for and why.

OVAL BUBBLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 has paid the annual fee each year. If the pattern holds, Sutton will pay Parks $2,637,258 in 2017, the last year of the current agreement. A once-a-week softball permit from the Parks Department, on the other hand, costs a few hundred dollars a season. According to a Department “usage report,” posted online, a single softball game is scheduled for nearly each day the tennis bubble will be down this summer, from June 15 to Aug. 29. Times the ﬁeld are not in use by permitted holders would presumably be available for to whoever wants to organize pick-up games. Although Sutton is, technically and as Castro says, a public concession, playing tennis there doesn’t come cheap, with one-hour court fees ranging from $80 to $225, according to a representative at Sutton East. By contrast a seasonal, nearly 8-month permit to play on cityowned and -maintained courts costs $200 for players 18 to 61. For older and younger players, seasonal permits cost $10 and $20, respectively. Single-play permits on those courts cost $15. As Castro noted, the nonprofit City Parks Foundation, which is distinct from the Parks Department, does get some donated court time at Sutton for youth players 6 to 16. In 2010, a Parks Department plan to allow Sutton East to operate year around was shelved after community opposition. Two years later, though, Parks extended Sutton East’s time at the Oval by six weeks. Last year, CB8 proposed that the lease agreements be reduced to a portion of the year, with a board resolution suggesting that Sutton East, which according to the club, has operated at the Oval for nearly 40 years, operate at the site six months out of the year. “A perfect solution will be for the park

BEER AND WATERCOLOR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 and in fact lives two doors down from the bar, specializes in realistic paintings of his neighborhood and land and seascapes of his homeland. “Painting what you know and have an emotional attachment to, for me, gives the paintings more truth and honesty,” he says. Elise Margolis, who had ten of her paintings appear on the fictional set of the TV show “Friends,” displayed two different kinds of work - a fun folk art series titled “word paintings.” along with a collage made from cut and assembled paint-on-paper. Childhood friend Claudia Hanna called the collage series “very refined and moving.” This was the first appearance for Margolis at one of these shows, so she was unsure how the day would go, but “ended up having a really great time. Many of my friends came out to hang out and to support my art. I met a fantastic group of talented artists and sold a few pieces.” As Healy worked the room, he ex-

APRIL 7-13,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com to be open to the public year round, but to compromise, perhaps during the cold months let the tennis club operate the park, and warmer months let the community have it,” said Clynes, the community board’s chairman. “Six months to the community, six months tennis. That’s a win-win situation for both.” In July, the board unanimously adopted another resolution, this time urging Parks to not renew its contract with Sutton East, and to instead return the park to full public use. And a few weeks ago, the board, again unanimously, approved a resolution outlining CB8’s strong desire for the Oval to return to the community full time as a multi-recreational area with added features for track, soccer, softball and tennis as well as an ice skating rink during the winter months, to maximize year round usage. That would be welcome news to Al Morales, the director the Yorkville Sports Association, who has been party to softball leasing contract with the Parks Department for about 25 years. He recalls the years when the tennis club would occupy the Oval for about six months each year, allowing softball leagues to play from the middle of April until late September, sometimes October. He said the leagues have now just two months to play. “We used to split the time half and half. We have an opportunity to play but not much of an opportunity. We deﬁnitely want our time back,” said Morales, adding that the Oval is one of the few remaining spaces for softball and baseball teams to play on the Upper East Side, and in some cases, the only place. The Parks Department, he said, is falling short of its mission. “They’re shutting out a large community and lots of sports teams,” he said. CB8’s Parks and Recreation Committee meets April 7, with the Oval again on the agenda.

plained, “I enjoy bringing all the talent together. They are so diverse from young to old and are happy to have their work displayed, and if they make sales… even better.” Along with Carry and Margolis, others who sold their work included Nancy Purnell, Carla Mele, and Walter De Forest, a Ryan’s Daughter bartender. While local art was the main draw, complimentary house-made shepherd’s pie, lasagna, and salad helped satiate artists and patrons alike and a raffle livened up the festivities while raising about $300 to benefit Pieta House, a center to help prevent suicide and selfharm. The next Healy-produced art show is slated for July 18 at DTUT (1744 Second Ave). Of the artists, Healy says, “I like how they all support and encourage each other, and sometimes buy from each other. They like my concept because it’s local and simple.” He concludes by calling Saturday “a great success and joyful day.”

ORCHIDS FOR EVERYBODY THE MANHATTAN GARDENER BY MIA KRAVITZ

A generation ago, orchid plants were rare and expensive, reserved for the rich or for special occasions. Unlike other perennial flowers, growers couldn’t reproduce orchids fast enough; it would take years for a plant to grow to blooming size. Propagation was a slow process and even pollination a leisurely business -- one reason why orchid flowers last more than a month in a pot or a vase. Plant scientists then learned that cloning could duplicate tropical orchids. Take a part of the plant that might be smaller than your pinky fingernail, grow it in a lab and get a blooming specimen in a single season. Voila. Now we see mass-market orchids for sale everywhere, even at the grocery store. Beginner gardeners usually start with Phalanopsis, aka Moth Orchids. These have long-lasting, rounded flowers on arching stems. I admit I have no luck with Phalanopsis, but the green-thumbed among us (such as my niece) have no problem getting rebloom from a gift Phalanopsis. The trick seems to be to keep the plant fertilized, when you are watering it once or twice a

week, using a quarter-strength solution of houseplant fertilizer. Give the orchid bright light rather than strong window sun, and a moist atmosphere, such as a kitchen or bathroom, and clip off the old ﬂowers as they fade. You can try this, but if the leaves start falling off and the stem withers, don’t fret. Enjoy Moth Orchids as you would a holiday poinsettia, and throw them out at the end of their season. The paradoxical dryness of “steam heat” in Manhattan apartments is a challenge for orchids indoors. I have had more luck with about a dozen different species of orchids that share a common quality: their leaves are heavier in substance and often stiff to the touch. Here are a few hardier types for a bright window. If you can put them outdoors, once the freezing mark is passed, they will truly thrive and give you a reason not to curse the humidity of our New York summers. Miniature varieties are worth looking for. Cymbidium: waxy flowers and good in pots outdoors. Bloom time: winter. Oncidium: long sprays of tiny ﬂowers, often fragrant. Bloom time: Spring. Reed Epidendrum: pompoms of

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ORCHIDS Manhattan Orchid Society: Monthly meetings and a “show table” of member plants in bloom. 7 p.m., April 13, SCL Conference Center, 5 West 39th St., 3rd floor. More info: 212-244-8888 http:// manhattanorchid.org/index.html New York Botanical Garden: “Orchidelirium” show in the Conservatory, through April 17. 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx. Demonstrations and workshops most weekends. Public Transit: B, D, or 4 trains to Bedford Park Blvd. Station, then walk eight blocks. Admission $20 weekdays, $25 weekends. Discounts for students, seniors. More info: 718-817-8700 http:// www.nybg.org/exhibitions/2016/ orchid-show/index.php bright color, try outdoors in a sunny border. Bloom time: Summer. Zygopetalum: tough as nails, often fragrant. Bloom time: Autumn. Two good sources are Foliage Garden (120 West 28th Street) and, believe it or not, Trader Joe’s (Broadway at 72nd Street).

APRIL 7-13,2016

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APRIL 7-13,2016

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Pets play such an incredible role in childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. Studies show that children raised with pets show many beneďŹ ts. Pets teach life lessons that stay into adulthood and have a monumental impact in a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development. The experts at North Shore Animal League America would like to express just how beneďŹ cial pets can be for children;

and how it is never too late to invite a pet into your life. The BeneďŹ ts of Children Owning a Pet â&#x20AC;˘ Caring for a pet can improve a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social skills, self-conďŹ dence and self-esteem. â&#x20AC;˘ Learning how to positively treat a pet is likely to lead to treating people kindly and respectfully. â&#x20AC;˘ Caring for a pet helps chil-

In accordance with Section 1-13 of the Concession Rules of the City of New York, the Department of Parks and Recreation (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parksâ&#x20AC;?) is issuing, as of the date of this notice, a RFP for the operation and maintenance of a Snack Bar/Cafeteria at Parksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Olmsted Center and a Food Kiosk located at David Dinkinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Circle, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens.

Hard copies of the RFP can be obtained, at no cost, commencing Monday, April 4, 2016 through Friday, May 6, 2016, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays, at the Revenue division of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, which is located at The Arsenal, 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 407, New York, NY 10065. The RFP is also available for download commencing Monday, April 4, 2016 through Friday, May 6, 2016 on Parksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; website. To download the RFP, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/businessopportunities, click on the link for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Concessions Opportunities at Parksâ&#x20AC;? and, after logging in, click on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;downloadâ&#x20AC;? link that appears adjacent to the RFPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s description.

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All proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be submitted by no later than Friday, May 6, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. to Parksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Revenue Division. There will be a recommended on-site proposer meeting and site tour Friday, April 15, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. We will meet at the proposed concession site at Olmsted Center which is located at 117-02 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, New York 11368. If you are considering responding to this RFP, please make every effort to attend this meeting and site tour. To obtain directions to the proposed concession site, please call (718) 760-6600.

1-212-666-6666 Tolls & gratuities not included. Prices subject to change without notice.

THE BENEFITS OF COMBINING PETS AND KIDS

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For more information, contact Revenue Project Manager Glenn Kaalund at (212) 360-1397. You can also email him at Glenn.Kaalund@parks.nyc.gov. TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD) 212-504-4115

dren to develop compassion, empathy and non-verbal communication skills. â&#x20AC;˘ Pets serve as an expressive outlet for children and act as their most trusted conďŹ dants. â&#x20AC;˘ Pets teach life lessons such as love, loyalty, trust, affection, patience, responsibility, respect for nature and living things, illness and death. â&#x20AC;˘ Pets provide a great source of physical and mental activity. â&#x20AC;˘ Pets provide wonderful company for children that do not have siblings. Things to Remember â&#x20AC;˘ Children under the age of 10 should not be left unattended with a pet. â&#x20AC;˘ Parents make the best role models and children will learn by observing their behavior. â&#x20AC;˘ It is important for parents to make sure that their children are properly caring for their pets. â&#x20AC;˘ Pet ownership is ultimately the responsibility of the adult â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not the child. To learn more about how pets positively affect children, visit the Mutt-i-greesÂŽ Curriculum at www.education.muttigrees. org. This curriculum was developed in collaboration with Yale Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School of the 21st Century and North Shore Animal League Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development arm, The Pet Savers Foundation.

APRIL 7-13,2016

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Bu On Sa 13 10 15 siness BY EM ILY TOW parishioturday mo Minutes 16 NER rn and low ners, comm ing, archit 19 ered in er Manhatt unity me ects, mb vision St. Paul’s Ch an residents ers for Tr ap gat el hto discu inity Ch building ss urch’s The ex . new pa the rish Place acr isting bu ild been cle oss from Tr ing, on Tr inity inity Ch ared for 1923, urc de it the chu no longer sermolition. Buh, has tower rch and the ves the ne ilt in wi com ed The we ll be built in munity. A s of new in a ser ekend me its place. eti — collabies of commu ng was the needs orative for nity “charr ﬁfth an um ett the low d wants of s to addre es” a whole er Manhatt the church ss the and an com . “In ou munit of r y initial as about charr buildinghow we wa ettes we talked for the to be a homented th is pa hood,” homeless an for the spi rish rit fer, Tr said the Re d for the neigh ual, v. Dr. Wi ini bor“We tal ty Wall Street lliam Lu ked ’s prector What ab . they wo out minis try act look,” uld be ivi Lu marke pfer said. , how they ties. wo t underst study in ord“We condu uld cte desires and neighbo er to objec d a dream as well as rhood needtively s.” parish s and He sai hopes and sion em d the churc tality braces a ph h communit The can tha ilo ride in coming t is “open sophy for y’s viCe carouseldidate’s owne ho , ﬂexibl .” On the ntral Park. “We wa e and spifamilia puts New Yo rship of the wela white wall next to nt it street r bind rkers in , access to be visiblP.9 > that rea placard wi the entrance a Gemm ible to e from the com and Re ds, “Trum th red letter is well, a Whitema the CONTINU p Ca munit gulat ing who we n and ind It’s y, BY DAN Engla ED ON Joel Ha re on lat icatio ions” -- rousel Ru PAGE 6 weekd e afternoon IEL FITZSIMM presid ns that Do one of the les day, nd and rode vacation uxONS ay, an on only sai the en fro nald a mi tial d lining opera bearing d they notic carousel Mo m up to pakids and tou ld winter tes the candidate, J. Trump, ed the Trum ntially ow car ris y Tr $3 for “It p’s ns an placar New Yo a qu ts are see um p’s po ousel. d ma was in my name. OurTown d rk mo lit ics ping int n, he ment: intesenDowntow wh ad o the car have be 20gav a carou weigh 16 e he en asked ,” said Wh n gu sel an aft a deep ernoo ousel, as rid n in En r pause. “H if the realiz iteOTDOW O n esc ly divisiv gla ati ers e’s NTOW like, ‘Do nd, so in my not very lik on e candid ape again N.COM st he ed I want ate. Newsche to give ad I was a bit ck money @OTD CO Cri me Wa NTINU to this owntown 2 Cit tch ED ON y

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10-16

Our To wn ha The pa s much 2016, per celebrat to be thank an OTTY d this we es its 45th ful for. ek Award anniv made ersary winnershonors its a un lat The OT ique differe , noting pe est group in ople wh of nce on You -- TY award the o ha s ha munit ve always -- short for OuUpper East ve Sid be y strong. service, an en a reflect r Town Th e. d this anks year’s ion of deep Our ho list is parti combusiness norees inc cularly owners lude co heroe mm an s. Cardi We’re also d medical anunity activi na tak fall’s wi l Timothy ing a mome d public saf sts, Franc ldly succes Dolan, who nt to recog ety is. nize sheph sful vis Kyle Po In his interv erd it iew wi to the city ed last pressi pe, Dolan by th Our ref ng Town Pope warning issues sti lects on thaCI Editor ll TYit, ARon movin s he receiv facing the t vis TS, g to Ne city,2 an>d on the w York ed from his P.1 Read nine his profile, seven years friends be the OT TY an fore ag Thom awards d the profi o. pso les of the oth We are n, in the spe by repor the wi proud to bri cial sectio ter Madelei er nners n ne part of ng it to you inside. our com , and pro ud to cal munit y. l

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

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UNITED IN THEIR ITALIAN HERITAGE

see the administration of the entire organization, whether it’s the board or the staff. Like right now, we’re in the middle of planning our major fundraiser and are executing that. But I’m involved in all of our regions. We have four: Rhode Island, Connecticut, greater Washington, D.C., and New York. In New York, we have subsets of the regions because we have Long Island and Staten Island. We’re about to launch Westchester, probably in the fall. We have these cultural and educational programs in addition to the youth programs, one of them I just talked about, the cultural exchange. And another one is the scholarships.

Chair of the National Board of the National Organization of Italian American Women on spreading Italian culture in the city

How would describe the Italian-American community in Manhattan?

BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Having lived all over the country, Maria Tamburri appreciated the rich Italian-American community she found when moving to New York in 2006. She relocated here with her husband following his appointment as dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute at Queens College. That same year, she became involved with NOIAW, a national network devoted to celebrating Italian culture and heritage by hosting educational events, providing scholarships, mentoring young people and organizing cultural exchange programs. Her involvement with NOIAW began almost immediately upon her arrival to the city and grew into her taking on different leadership roles within the organization. She was on the board, served as executive director, then president and, in June, became chair of the national board. Her job includes overseeing the other three regions, Rhode Island, Connecticut and greater Washington, D.C., that make up the organization. On April 16, NOIAW will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a luncheon at The St. Regis honoring CNN news anchor Alisyn Camerota and Jeanne Mariani Sullivan, founding principal of venture capital ﬁrm StarVest Partners.

Explain NOIAW’s cultural exchange program. In 2007, we launched this cultural exchange program with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So we’re actually going into our 10th year. This year, we’re selecting a group of ItalianAmerican college women to go over to Italy and be hosted in Rome by the Italian government. They usually stay in

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a residence or a hotel. The idea is that they get to meet professional Italian women. It’s a cultural and educational experience. And this past June, we just had a group of Italian college women that came here for the same thing. We housed them in the dorms at Fordham Lincoln Center. Again, the same idea, they get to meet accomplished Italian-

American professional women. They do some kinds of New York things as well, like see a show and go down to Ellis Island.

What does your job as chair entail? I oversee the office operation. I have someone here who is very good and in charge of the office, Beth, but I over-

In Manhattan, it’s very rich in a sense that there are many organizations here. And we also welcome men; you don’t have to be a woman to be a member or friend of our organization. I’ve lived all over the country and I think you find New York and Manhattan very rich with a lot of Italian-Ameri-

can organizations and activities going on. There’s a group called the Italian Heritage and Culture Month. They represent about 30 different organizations and groups. They put together all the programming that goes on in October for Italian Heritage and Culture Month. We support each other and sometimes do things together with them.

Who have been your Italian-American women mentors in your life and some interesting women you’ve met through your job? I’ve met some very fascinating women. The late Geraldine Ferraro is one of our founding members. Because I came here in 2006, I got to know her. And Matilda Cuomo. Dr. Aileen Sirey is our founder and chair emeritus. I worked with her and she’s still very active on our board. She founded the organization and got support from Geraldine Ferraro, Matilda Cuomo, Donna de Matteo, Constance Mandina. For more information, visit www.noiaw.org

Maria Tamburri, who joined the National Organization of Italian American Women in 2006, was appointed the organization’s chairwoman in June.

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